Portable ladder.



W. H. MCCRYSTLE.

PORTABLE LADDER.

APPucATloN FILED ocT.15.1914. RENEwED nic. 9.1915.

\ Patented May 30, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

THE coLUMulA pum'nunAPn co.. WASHINGTON. D. c

W. H.MCCRYSTLE. PORTABLE LADDER. APPLICATION FILED o.cT.t5.19I4. IIEIIEwED Dec. 9,1915.

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WILLIAM HaMcCRYSTLE, OIF-VALLEJO, CALIFORNIA.

PORTABLE LADDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mayen, 191e.

Application led October 15, 1914, Serial No. 866,846. Renewed December 9, 1915. Serial No. 66,022.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM I-I. MG- CRYSTLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vallejo, in the county of Solano and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Ladders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a portable ladder mounted upon a wheel supported frame and adapted to be trundled from place to place.

The object of the invention is to provide a ladder of this character which is simple and light in construction and which when not in use, may be folded to occupy small storage space and when so folded, will permit its supporting frame or truck to be used for other purposes.

With the aboveand other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a ladder constructed in accordance with this invention with parts broken out and ready for use; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof with the parts in folded inoperative position; Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the ladder in operative position; Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

'In the embodiment illustrated, a supporting frame or truck is shown comprising a skeleton rectangular member 1 here shown composed of side members 2 and 3 preferably constructed of wood and which are connected by longitudinally spaced transversely extending cross bars 4 supported on laterally extending flanges 5 secured to the lower edges of the side members 2 and 3 and extending inwardly therefrom and terminating at points spaced from the ends of said side bars for a purpose to be described. The front ends of these side bars 2 and 3 are mounted on an axle 6 having suitable wheels 7 to provide for the movement of the truck from place to place. These front ends of the members 2 and 3 are connected with said axle 6 by means of metal sleeves 2 and 3 which incase the ends of said members and have a pair of upturned apertured ears 2 and 3 on their opposite sides and through which the axle 6 loosely passes and .whereby the axle is disposed substantially m alinement with the upper edge of the side bars 2 and 3 for a purpose to be described. The rear ends of these side members 2 and 3 are shaped to form handles 8 from the inner ends of which depend supporting legs 9 which may be connected therewith in any suitable manner and can either be made integral or not, as desired.

The cross bars 4 are preferably mounted on the upper faces of the flanges 5 and are designed to perform the double function-ofA reinforcing bracing members for the supporting framev and as stops for the ladder to be described. The ladder here shown is composed of two pivotally or hingedly connected sections 10 and l1 which are preferably of equal length or they may be of ydifferent lengths if desired. The section 1'0 is composed of two side bars l0a and 10b connected by rungs 10c which latter decrease gradually in length from the inner toward the outer ends of said section, thereby causing the bars 10a and 10b to converge toward their outer ends. The inner end of the bars 1()a and l()b are shown pivotally mounted on the'axle 6 and are provided with reinforcing incasing sleeves 10l which are provided with inturned apertured ears 10e on` the ends of their outer sides through which the axle 6 loosely passes and which are designed to form a pocket or space between the section 10 and the cross Vbars 4 of the frame to receive the section 11 when the ladder yis folded into inoperative position.

The outer ends of the bars 10a and 10b arel connected with the section 1'1 by a suitable hinge construction now to be described. The outer ends of the bars l()a and 10b are also incased in sleeves lOf provided at their outer ends on their outer sides with apertured ears 10g extending laterally inward to receive the hinge pintle 10h.

The section 11 is constructed of side bars 11a and 11b connected by rungs 11c which gradually decrease in length from the outer toward the inner end of said section 11,

said rungs corresponding in length to the rungs of section 10,'whereby the side bars 11a and 11b are spaced laterally apart the same distance as the side bars 10a and 10b of section 10 to provide for the positioning of the bars of the two sections in vertical alinement when said sections 'are in folded lowered position. rlhe inner ends ofthe side bars 1la and 1lb are also incased in metal sleeves 11d which have inturned laterally extending apertured ears 11e at the outer ends of their outer faces for the passage therethrough of the pintle 10h, whereby the ears at the inner ends of the two sections are pivotally connected with the bars of the sections disposed to be superposed substantially in vertical alinement when folded one on the other as seen in Fig. 2 and with their adjacent edges in close proximity.

The free ends of the side bars 1lad and 11b of the section 1l are here shown provided with prongs 12 preferably constructed of metal and which are designed to engage a supporting surface and hold the-ladder in adjusted position, said prongs being here shown engaging the ianges 5 of the supporting frame, (see Fig. l) but they may be engaged with other supports, for instance, they may he driven into the side of a building to dispose the ladder section l1 in a horizontal plane with the section 10 operating as a support for one end thereof, it of course being understood that stops will have first been placed behind the wheels 7 to prevent the truck from moving away and disengaging the pronged ends of the section 11 from the support with which it is engaged.

As shown, the sections 10 and ll taper toward their inner ends and are made of substantially the same width and size so that when in folded position shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the side members of each section will be disposed substantially in vertical alinement with the side members of the other section.

When the sections are to be disposed in folded position, the free or swinging section l1 is rst'folded inwardly with the pronged ends thereof engaging the inner side of the axle 6, and then the section l0 is folded downwardly with said section 1l disposed between the section l0 and the supporting frame, said sections resting on the cross bars of said support with the pronged free end of section l1 extending under the axle 6.

llhen it is desired to use the ladder, the sections are opened up and the pronged ends l2 ofthefree section l1 are disposed adjacent the inner faces or edges of one of the cross bars d so that said cross bar will form auxiliary supporting means for the ladder and prevent all danger of the pronged ends thereof slipping.

From the above description, it will be obvious that a convenient ladder is provided which is very light in construction and nray be readily moved from place to place wherever it is desired for use.

I claim as my invention:

A portable, foldable ladder comprising a substantially rectangular frame composed of laterally spaced connected side members, said side members having upturned apertured ears at their front ends, an axle loosely mounted in said ears, wheels on said axle, a ladder section having laterally extending inturned apertured ears on the outer faces of one end through which said axle passes and similar ears on its other end, another ladder section provided at its inner end on its outer faces with inturned apertured ears, a pintle extending through theears of the two sections, said sections being of the same width, whereby they are superposed' in vertical alinement when folded.

2. A portable, foldable ladder comprising a substantially rectangular frame composed of laterally spaced side lmembers having flanges extending laterally inward from their lower edges and terminating at points spaced from the ends thereof, longitudinally spaced cross bars connecting said flanges and secured to the upper faces thereof, an axle mounted in one end of said frame, wheels ou said axle, twin ladder sections pivotally connected at one end vto lie one on theother when folded, the free end of one section being pivotally mounted on said axle and the free end of the other section being provided with spurs.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

lVILLIAM H. MCCRYSTLE.

Witnesses:

JAMES V. OHARA, A. BYRNE.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gomnu'ssioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

